I didn’t know anybody, but still, would they think I was a snob for not stopping to talk with them? I was the only one walking, mumbling “excuse me” as I tried to maneuver around them towards the exit. They wouldn’t walk towards the door they would just stand there talking, talking, talking. There was talking, talking, and more talking as people gathered in little groups. The instant the pastor dismissed us, people would jump up and start shuffling about, gathering coats and children and heading out into the aisles. Suddenly, the service would be over, and noise and chaos would erupt like a volcano. I enjoyed this quiet, calm interlude with a predictable routine. The services were quiet, solemn affairs - not like the loud, clapping and shouting services some churches offer. It was a liturgical church with a small, dark sanctuary decorated with beautiful stained glass windows. I can’t wait to hear what you think about this polarizing topic.There was a time in my life when I regularly attended church. Many of our readers say they value hearing other people’s thoughts as much as they like reading our articles. What are your thoughts about idle chit chat? Love it or hate it? And how are your chit chat skills? Do you silently wish for an empty elevator or have you typically made a few new friends by the time you reach your floor? So, what can help with an overloaded day? Establishing clear priorities, setting meeting agendas and renewing your commitment to single-tasking (instead of multi-tasking) will all help. But a small amount of chatter can truly benefit our teams. Should your entire day be filled with miscellaneous chit chat? Absolutely not. This brings me back to my original question: is it time to ban idle chit chat? It seems clear we need to keep talking. Companies where people connect, and form friendships are more productive. But investing in a bit of fun appears to pay off. It’s almost as if we are rewarding the late stragglers and penalizing the on-timers. The miscellaneous chatter during the first few minutes of the meeting appears to be an easy target. Many busy people spend far too much of their work day in board rooms, squeezing out critical time for independent work and emails. But I recognize meetings have a bad reputation. Some friendly banter in meetings is an easy way to bring more laughter into our work days. Social chatter simply makes work more fun.
On that note, if we trade off 5 minutes (or 8% of a standard one-hour meeting) for a dramatic boost to productivity, we will certainly see stronger bottom-line results. That’s a 22% swing and roughly equivalent to an extra day of productivity per person each week. Happy employees are 12% more productive while unhappy workers are 10% less productive. If any of your hard-nosed, “it’s all business” colleagues are dismissive of idle chit chat, you can appeal to their bottom-line mindset. Random conversations and sharing help to build trust and connections. Unfortunately, helpfulness doesn’t just happen naturally if there isn’t a certain level of familiarity. The more team members know each other, the more helpful they are. Thankfully, idle chit chat can provide a brief reprieve to help us metaphorically catch our breath before stepping into the limelight. We don’t operate optimally with unrelenting high pressure, whether it be during a tense debate or high-stakes presentation.
Idle chit chat, prompted by the leader, helps to lower defences and prompt people to open up. The greater the power discrepancy between two people, the less the conversation seems to flow.
Not surprisingly, we are all on alert to spot low-value time sucks we can eliminate from our days. In fact, this exact challenge is what propelled me to start studying productivity. We are running at turbo speed and yet it still seems there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. It seems everyone is short on time these days.
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